Abandoned ducklings and goslings recovering on Peninsula

One-week-old Mallard ducklings recover at the Peninsula Humane Society's wildlife center. The ducklings were rescued Saturday after they fell down a storm drain in San Mateo and their mother left them behind. less

One-week-old Mallard ducklings recover at the Peninsula Humane Society's wildlife center. The ducklings were rescued Saturday after they fell down a storm drain in San Mateo and their mother left them ... more

Photo: Courtesy / Peninsula Humane Society

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One-week-old Mallard ducklings recover at the Peninsula Humane Society's wildlife center. The ducklings were rescued Saturday after they fell down a storm drain in San Mateo and their mother left them behind. less

One-week-old Mallard ducklings recover at the Peninsula Humane Society's wildlife center. The ducklings were rescued Saturday after they fell down a storm drain in San Mateo and their mother left them ... more

Photo: Courtesy / Peninsula Humane Society

Image 3 of 8

A 1-week-old Mallard duckling recovers at the Peninsula Humane Society's wildlife center. The duckling and its nine siblings were rescued Saturday after they fell down a storm drain in San Mateo and their mother left them behind. less

A 1-week-old Mallard duckling recovers at the Peninsula Humane Society's wildlife center. The duckling and its nine siblings were rescued Saturday after they fell down a storm drain in San Mateo and their ... more

Photo: Courtesy / Peninsula Humane Society

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A 2-week-old orphaned gosling recovers at the Peninsula Humane Society's wildlife center. The gosling and its nine siblings, all Canada geese, were rescued after they were separated from their mother at Baker Beach over the weekend. less

A 2-week-old orphaned gosling recovers at the Peninsula Humane Society's wildlife center. The gosling and its nine siblings, all Canada geese, were rescued after they were separated from their mother at Baker ... more

Photo: Courtesy / Peninsula Humane Society

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A 2-week-old orphaned gosling recovers at the Peninsula Humane Society's wildlife center. The gosling and its nine siblings, all Canada geese, were rescued after they were separated from their mother at Baker Beach over the weekend. less

A 2-week-old orphaned gosling recovers at the Peninsula Humane Society's wildlife center. The gosling and its nine siblings, all Canada geese, were rescued after they were separated from their mother at Baker ... more

Photo: Courtesy / Peninsula Humane Society

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Two-week-old orphaned goslings recover at the Peninsula Humane Society's wildlife center. The goslings, all Canada geese, were rescued after they were separated from their mother at Baker Beach over the weekend. less

Two-week-old orphaned goslings recover at the Peninsula Humane Society's wildlife center. The goslings, all Canada geese, were rescued after they were separated from their mother at Baker Beach over the ... more

Photo: Courtesy / Peninsula Humane Society

Image 7 of 8

Two-week-old orphaned goslings recover at the Peninsula Humane Society's wildlife center. The goslings, all Canada geese, were rescued after they were separated from their mother at Baker Beach over the weekend. less

Two-week-old orphaned goslings recover at the Peninsula Humane Society's wildlife center. The goslings, all Canada geese, were rescued after they were separated from their mother at Baker Beach over the ... more

Photo: Courtesy / Peninsula Humane Society

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Abandoned ducklings and goslings recovering on Peninsula

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Twenty baby birds abandoned by their mothers over the weekend have found a temporary home at the Peninsula Humane Society’s wildlife center.

Ten Mallard ducklings and 10 Canada goslings are recovering at the center and will stay there for at least a month before they are released into the wild, said spokesman Scott Delucchi, a spokesman for the shelter.

The humane society opened its wildlife center last fall and has cared for a few baby birds and baby squirrels, but the two orphaned broods are the center’s first big addition of the spring.

The week-old ducklings were rescued Saturday after they fell into a storm drain near the Bank of America on El Camino Real in San Mateo, Delucchi said. The ducklings and their mother were out for a walk when the little ones fell in and became stuck.

When a animal rescue officer arrived, the mother got spooked and left, Delucchi said. The officer rescued the ducklings by taking off the drain and lifting them out gently. The officer waited with the ducklings for an hour to see if the mother would return, but she didn’t.

The location was too dangerous to leave them there, so the ducklings were taken to the shelter and put in an incubator.

The 2-week-old goslings were stranded Sunday at Baker Beach in San Francisco when a Labradoodle got too close and scared away the mother, Delucchi said. Someone at the beach brought the goslings to the center.